Page 10 of Ride or Die
“I’m going to head into A Novel Bunch soon. Would you like to come with?” I pour us both a cup of coffee and grab creamer out of the fridge. White chocolate mocha, my favorite for brewing coffee at home.
“Yeah, I’d like that. Mind if I borrow some clothes,” she asks.
“Of course! Leggings or jeans?”
“Leggings, please,” she laughs.
“I’ll lay some out on my bed. I’m going to take a quick shower and dress, then we can go,” I tell her. She nods and I leave the kitchen. I lay out some leggings and an A Novel Bunch t-shirt for Wren, and grab some clothes for myself. I take a quick shower and get dressed within twenty minutes. When I walk back into the kitchen, Wren is leaning on the counter, staring at her phone with a blank stare. I clear my throat, announcing my presence. She jumps a little and gives me a shy smile.
I smile back at her. “You ready to go?”
“Yup!” She puts her phone in the side pocket of her leggings. It takes around twenty minutes for us to get to A Novel Bunch. Emma opened this morning with Madison. It’s still pretty early when we arrive and not busy yet. On Saturdays and Sundays, the morning rush is mid to late morning.
“Hey! Y’all are up early,” Madison says as we walk in.
“I struggle with sleeping in.” I shrug.
“Are y’all hungry? I can get you something to eat or drink,” Madison says to both of us.
“I’ll have a ham, egg, and cheese croissant with an orange juice,” Wren tells her.
“I’ll have the same,” I respond. Madison turns to the counter behind her and prepares our breakfast sandwiches while Emma grabs our drinks. Emma is telling Madison and Wren about the bonfire.
“Y’all went to the bonfire at my brother’s?” Wren asks shocked. I look at her confused. “My brother, Shade, is a part of the Savage Riders. The four of them recently moved here from Arizona.”
That’s where I’ve heard the name before. I’m about to respond when customers walk in. I turn around and see Minx and Rivet. I grin at them. The door opens again and my face falls. My heart damn near stops.
7
Buster
A few ofus woke up early this morning and chose to go get some breakfast. Minx suggested we go to A Novel Bunch. Most of the brothers were all still asleep, so it’s just Minx, Rivet, Shade, and I. I agreed to A Novel Bunch in hopes I might see Cali. To see if she’smyCali. I also wasn’t expecting her to be here since she was supposedly at the bonfire last night.
I barely get through the door when I stop dead in my tracks. She was smiling until her eyes locked on mine. She pales like she’s seen a ghost. She was always beautiful, but she’s even more so now.
“Cali, are you alright,” Minx asks her.
“What are you doing here?” Cali is staring right at me, ignoring Minx. She sounds calm. If it wasn’t for her spooked look when she first saw me, I’d think me being here didn’t even phase her.
“Wait, how do you know Buster?” This comes from Rivet. I haven’t taken my eyes off Cali, afraid she might disappear from my sight. Cali is the one to break first, turning to Rivet.
“This is Buster?” Cali sounds confused.
“Oh my God. Is he . . . ” Minx starts with surprise in her voice. Cali walks around the counter and takes off through a set of doors to where I’m guessing is the kitchen.
“Brother,” Shade whispers. I’m still staring at the doors Cali disappeared through. Minx and Rivet go after Cali, leaving us with Wren, Shade’s sister, and one of the other employees. I finally turn at Shade. “It’s her, isn’t it?”
My whole crew in Arizona knew I hadthe one who got away. Shade was the only one I ever told the whole story to.
“Yeah, it’s her,” I tell him. We walk over to a table and Wren walks over and sits with us.
“Well, this makes things interesting.” She takes a sip of her drink and glances at her phone before setting it on the table. “So, you know Cali?”
“Something like that,” I respond.
“What are you even doing here? I thought you didn’t work today,” Shade says to Wren. Her phone vibrates and a guy’s name flashes across the screen. She looks at it and turns it off, ignoring the call.
“I felt like coming in and seeing friends. Lend an extra hand if they needed it,” she responds. Shade is glaring at her. He doesn’t believe her. Minx and Rivet walk out of the kitchen before Shade can respond to her.
